Falcao’s Premier League move was a ‘mistake’ – Jardim

Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim has told Radamel Falcao he made a mistake in moving to the Premier League when he was injured.

Falcao, 30, had shown great form for Monaco after joining them from Atletico Madrid in summer 2013, scoring nine times in 17 Ligue 1 matches before rupturing knee ligaments in a Coupe de France game in January 2014.

The following summer, after missing the 2014 World Cup as he continued to recover from the injury, Falcao joined Manchester United on loan where he failed to convince Louis van Gaal he was worthy of a regular place in the starting line-up.

He scored just four Premier League goals in 26 appearances, only 14 of which were starts, before another loan move to Chelsea in summer 2015 where Jose Mourinho and his successor, Guus Hiddink, showed even less faith in Falcao, handing him just one top flight start last season.

“Falcao’s problem wasn’t only his knee injury, but also that he left to go and play elsewhere for two seasons, in Manchester and then at Chelsea,” Jardim said. “He tried to continue playing at a high level when normally when you have an injury like that, you stay at your club to try and get back quickly.”

Falcao, who is on a five-year deal at Monaco, returned to the principality club in the summer, and though he has already had a thigh injury and suffered concussion this season, he has managed four league games, scoring twice.